Turbine-blade-fixing machine.



S. Z. DE FERRANTI. TUBBYINE BLADE FIXING MAQQIRE. APPLIUATION rILnnsnm-.26,19%

91 1,222. Patented Feb. 2, 1909.`

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91 1,222. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 26, 1904. Patented Feb, 2

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S. Z. DE FERRANTI.

TULBINE. ILADE I'IXING MAD APPLICATION FILED BBPT. 26, 1904.

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Patented Feb. 2,

S. Z. DE FERRANTI.

TUBBINE BLADE FIXING MACHINE.

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S. Z. DE FBRRANTI. TUBBINE BLADE PIII-NG MACHINE.

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91 1 ,222, Patented Feh 2., 19139,

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S. Z. DE FERRANTI. TUREllP. BLABE FIXNG M E.

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S. Z. DE PERRANTI. TURBINE BLADE HXING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 26, 1904. 91 1,222 Patented Feb. 2, 1909. 9SHEETS-SHEET 9.

SEBASTIAN ZIANI' DE FERRANTI, or HAMPSTEAD, LONDON, ENGLAND.

TnBiNE-BLADE-FI'XING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters' Patent.

Patented ret. 2, 190s'.

Application led September 26, 1904. Serial No. 226,048.

To all whom it man] concern:

Be itvknown that I, SnBAs'rIA-N ZIA-N1 DE FERRANTI, a subject of theKing of Great Britain and Ireland, and residin at 31 Lyndhurst road,Hampstead, London, N. W., England,have invented certainnew and use ful-Improvements in Turbine-Blade-Fixing Machines, of which the-following isa specification.

This invention relates to the electric Welding of turbine blades on tothe Wheels, rings, drums or the like carrying them, thel object of theinvention being' the provision of a machine whereby the bladesy used inturbines canf be welded to the parte carrying them with great rapidityand accuracy.

The invention consists of a turbine blade welding machine comprising thenovel devices and combinations of devices which be hereinafter described`and particularly defined in the claims;

The operation'slto be carried-out b themachine are broadly as followszTe Wheel (for example)`to-Which the turbine blades are to be Welded,havin been placed in the machine, is' automatica y `"rotated ste b stethrough'V the requireddistance'.- jach tur inev blade, clamped betweenjaws" ada ted to carryv the electric jcrrent is forced by suitablemeans-,inw c ontaerjwthi thwart of the Wheel to which 4ift is ttie-welded. The current is then'a' 'plied softening the parts `to i beWeldedone'o Whichthenlapproaches the other, this comparatively sni'amotion be'- ing msgnified by suitable mechanism which cuts o the currentafter' the desired heating and softening has been eiiected.- The'4welded glade is then released preferably automat- 1ca anot er blade,thecycle of operations being then repeated. The machine in addition tocarrying out the operations described above may also prepare the wheelor disk by slotting drilling and the like in advance of the weld asregards position on the wheel and Without slackening the progress of theWelding operation, the machine thus taking a plain wheel or disk anddoing all that is necessary to it until it a pears as a finished'article with all the bla es welded on. The object of this preliminarytreatment of the wheel by slotting, drilling and the like isv to limitthe cross-sectional area in the neighborhood of the Welding pointavailable for the flow of heat therefrom, so as to localize the heat ofthe Weld and cause wheel and blade .clamped in its cylindrical bearinand the machine resets itself to receive to rise to the required weldingtemperature in about the same' time.

Referring to the accompanying drawings Figures 1 '1 and 1b show a sideelevation of the greater portion of the machine. Figs. 2 and 2b show aplan thereof. Fig. 3 is an end vienr partly 1n section, as seen from theright in Fig. 1, Fig. 4 showing an end view of the welding head but asseen from the left in Fig; 1"; Fig. 5 shows an elevation of the slottngattachment sup osed removed from- Fig. 1"; Figs. 6 and 7 s ow sectionalelevation and plan respectively of the automatic stop' gear, while Figs.8 and 9 show side an en views respectively of a forni of-blade holder haa mechanical clamping device,- Figs.`

ings applied to the w'eldin of blades uon' a turbine Wheel, a, the bla eto be wel ed is held -between renewable copper jaws, b, between'v whichit is inserted so as to abut against a suitablestop, b', these jawsbeing o suitable shape and fixed by screws to the co er jawV holder, c.Details of the jaw holdiertogether withjmethods of clamp the/blade arehereinafter described withlreflDI erenceto Figs. 8 to 11. Theshank orend of thejaw holder remote from the blade is made cylindrical'- andclamped yin a cylil'1'-- dricil bearing having a cop er cap, d, suitablyconnected to oneole o a transformer, battery or the like. T e jaw holderI nay b'e 1n an position to suit the setti'n angle of t e blades,

`a wedge such as e, of t e necessary taper,

being preferably inserted between the ja'w holder, c, and a planedsurface on the cross head, f, carrying the cylindrical bearing, thusinsuring the correct angle and safe arding against its alteration. Thecrossglixead, f, works in a slide, h, and is held in position by slidebars, '11; the lower face of the slide' is inclined and co crates with acorresponding inclined face ormed on the welding head casting, k, thusproviding means for giving a delicate vertical adjustment to thecrosshead. Studs or the like passing through slots in the weldin headand nuts, l, are provided for clamping the slide in lace.

The pressure at the weld is obtamed by means of an adjrstable spring, m,acting through a toggle, formed by the double link, n, pivoted on thecrosshead, f, and one leg, o,

of a bell crank pivoted on the welding head, k. A rod, 1, connected tothe toggle center serves to transmit the pressure of the spring, m, anadjustable stop, s, being provided to limit the downward movement of thetog le center. The rod, 1", passes through t 1e spring, m, and isprovided at its upper end with a slot through which passes the tail endof a catch lever, t, pivoted on the welding head; the ressure of thespring is transmitted to tlie catch lever through an adjustableset-screw, u, projecting into the slot. This method obviates any sidepressure and consequently friction on the toggle rod.

The automatic switch, which is of the oilbreak pattern, is operated froma pai1` of levers, t, pivoted on the welding head, by means of thespindle, w. A downward pull 0n.the outer end of this double lever, e,forces the switch on to its contacts against the pressure of a strongspring, x, and also straightens out the links, z, above, so that a catchpiece; 2, fastened to one of these links, moves under and is caught-bythe end of the catch lever, t, thus retaining the switch in the "Onposition. The switch is pulled on automatically as the welding head(operated in a manner to be described) reaches the back end of itsstroke, by a bell crank lever, 3, one leg of which comes in contact witha xed adjustable stop, 4, While the other is linked to the outer end ofthe double lever, v, by means of the rod, 5. The switch (see also Fig.3, in which the rod, 5, is removed and the oil well wall partly brokenaway) is insulated from the levers, fu, by means of the fiber block, w',forming art of the switch spindle, w, which is carried) down into theoil Well, 7, conveniently cast in one with the welding head. Two sets ofcontacts are provided, the upper or primary, 6, being preferably formedof' laminated strips of copper; the lower or secondary contacts, 8, arearranged tomake contact first and break last, this action being insuredby means of the light spring, 9. The break of the secondary contactstakes place in oil, thus preventing any arcing at the primary contacts.Tlie main contatct blocks, 1U, to which the leads are connected, and thesecondary contacts, 11, are mounted on an insulating ebonite base, 12.

To free itself from a blade that has just been welded, so that theturbine wheel or ring may rotate into osition for the next weld, thewelding hear 7c, travels back in a slide formed in the box casting, 13,which is insulated from the main frame, 14, of the machine, in relationto which it is adjustable by means of studs and slots, adjusting screwsor the like means, so that it can be secured in any position to suitdifferent sizes of turbine wheels and length of blades. Slide bars, 15,(see Fig. 4) constrain the motion of the welding head. This motion ofthe welding head 1s taken from a worm, 16, and

worm wheel, 17 a sprocket wheel, 18, mounted on the worm wheel shaft,and chain, 19, serving to transmit the motion to a second sprocketwheel, 2U, which together with a crank, 22, is mounted on the spindle,21, this crank being linked to the welding head by means of theconnecting Arod or pitman, 23. The position of the bracket, 24, carryingthe worm wheel, 17, and sprocket wheel, 18, can be adjusted tocorrespond with that of the box casting, 13. .The worm, 16, is driventhrough a feather by the shaft, 25, the motion of which is so controlled(in a manner to be hereinafter described) as to cause the crank, 22, to`make half revolutions alternately backwards and forwards, at the end ofeach of which the shaft, 25, stops automatically. The s rocket wheel,20, is insulated from the wel head by means of the fiber rin 26, seen in4.

As the we ding head, approaches the back of its stroke, the switch isclosed automatically as mentioned above and the yrod,. `28,

pivoted to theend of the leg, 29, of the-toggle 4 bell crank, strikesagainstthexed adjustable stop, 30, and causes the to gle center to rise,thus drawing the `blade wards. rThe leg, 29, of the toggle bell crank isthen caught and held by the trip lever, 31, pivoted on the welding head.This lever, 31 1s tripped by the crank at both ends of the stroke but atthe back end it isarranged that the toggle bell crank shall be held bythe rod, 28, and stop, 30, till after thecrank is clear, so that thewelding head moves forward with the trip lever, 31, in gear.

The full c cle of o erations is thus as follows The lade to c welded,having been placed in the jaws,`b, with the welding head 1n its backwardposition, the shaft, 25, is started with the switch in the on positionand both the tri or catch levers, 31 and t, in gear. The sha t, 25, isstopped automatically (in a manner to be ex lained) as the blade reachesthe turbine wieel and at the same time, the crank 22, trips the lever,31, thus freeing the toggle bell crank and allowing the s rin m, toproduce pressure on the weld. 'lhe e ectric current ma be controlled byan independent switch un er the control of the attendant or this switchmay be kept closed during the whole operation, in, which latter case thewelding starts simultaneously with the tri ping of the trip lever, 31.As the blade sofltens under the heat, the pressure of the s ring, m,causes a sli ht shortening of the Iblade, this shortening eing greatlymagnified by the toggle and causing a comparatively large movement ofthe rod, 1^, which descends and trips the catch lever, t, therebyleaving the spring, x, free to act to open the switch. The shaft, 25, isthen reversed and the welding head returned to the back end of itsstroke, where it is again stopped automatically after switching on theolder backcurrent and setting the trip lever, 31. ,adnstable steps, sand a, enable the machine to Jbe set to break contact at the exact timewhen .the shortening of 4the blade `corresponds :to a satisfactory weld.

If the :turbine Wheel, a, is to :be ,prepared by clotting in .order tolocalize the heat `of the weld as explained above, the slotting head,,32, (see Fig. .5 where the slot-ting attachment is shown removed fromthe machine) is constrained to move in a casing or frame, 33 forming avertical slide and having a slotted flange, 34, at the base, by means ofwhich it lcan be adjusted tangentially and bolted to the bed or frame,14, of the machine; a slot in this frame also enables it to be adjustedlongitudinally within the limits of the machine, so as to suit differentsizes of turbine wheels. The cutting is done by one or more vserratedcutters, 35, carried by the slotting head, .the serrations beingarranged in steps .So that each tooth .cuts deeper than the precedingone. In Fig. 2, two suchcutters .are indicated, .the one being arrangedin .advance of the .other as regards depth of cut. The slotting head isreciprocated by means of an internal screw, 36, ,engaging with a squarenut, 37, fitting in a `corresponding recess in :the slottin head, .32,the screw, 36, being ,driven off tie main motion shaft, 25, throu hlbevel wheels, 38, .one of which is slidab y mounted on .the shaft, 25,and is Adriven by a feather, the bracket 39, which holds this wheelin'position being adjustable longitudi- -nally ,to ,correspondwithdifi'erent positions of the gearing. Aclamp, 40, is provided torevent the wheel vibrating as the Vcut is ta en, :this latter operationtaking lace as the welding head moves forward. ter a new blade is weldedin lace, the motion of the shaft, 25, is reversed', thus causing theWelding head to return and withdrawing the serrated cutters through theslots they have 'ust formed. It is not until the cutters are well clearof the turbine wheel, that is to say, not until the welding head istowards the back end of its stroke, that the automatic gear is operatedto turn the wheel into osition for the next weld. This operation iseii'ectedV by a rod, 41, .passing through a hole in the welding headcasting and having' adjustable stops, 42, fixed to it. The rod actuatesa crank, 43, carrying a spring pressed pawl, 44, which coperates in theusual manner with a ratchet wheel, 45, the mo tien of this wheel beingtransmitted by suitably proportioned gear wheels, 46, to the last wheel,47, of the train, to which the turbine wheel is secured by means of theclampingrplate, 48.

e dividing motion mechanism just described is supported on a suitablestool, 49, which ma itself be ad'ustable with regard to the be plate, ifdeslred. The necessary adjustments to allow for different blade spacingsare preferably made by altering the The j ratchet wheel, 45, or bysetting the movable stops, 42, se as to cause the pawi, 44, to take therequired number of teeth, and leaving the gear wheels, 46, 47,unchanged.

l Referring to Figs. 6 and 7, the method of controlling the motionof'the shaft, 25, will now be described. To the end of the main shaft,25, a hollow rolongation or sleeve, 5() is rigidly secured, t is sleevebeing supported in suitable bearings, 51, and containinin its centeraneasily fitting steel rod, 52. n the sleeve, 50, two loose pulleys, 53,54, are mounted, adapted to run in opposite directions, -the bosses ofthese pulleys being coned to form the male elements of frictionclutches. The corresponding female clutches, 55, 56, slidably mounted onthe sleeve, 50are secured -to the central rod by cotters, 57, which passloosely through slots, 58, in the sleeve, 50. Thus a pull on thelcentral rod in either direction will engage one erother of the clutches.and the corresponding pulley ywill then drive .the shaft. f

As the ear is arrangedlin the machine described a ove, it is necessaryfor the shaft to make twenty revolutions only in the one direction, thento stop `autmatically and when started again by the attendant, to makeexactly twenty more revolutions in the other direction and so on. Thisis provided for as follows: -An extension, 59, .of the central rod,- 52,outside the sleeve, 50, is screwed land engages with a nut, 60, which isprevented from rotat by means of a suitable flat surface forme upon it.As therod, 52, rotates, the nut, 60, travels along the rod until itcomes in contact with one or other of the fixed ad'ustable stops, 61,through the center of eac of which the rod loosely passes. The nut, 60,being prevented from traveling further, any continuance of the sleevesrotation, causes the central rod, 52, to be drawn through the nut thusre leasing the particular driving clutch engaged and stopping the shaft,25. It is impossible for the attendant to start the shaft again in thesame direction, but by pulling the central rod a little further in thesame direction as it was drawn by the nut, the other clutch will engageand the shaft run backwards until automatically stopped as before. Forthe urpose just mentloned, a forked starting liandle, 62, pivoted on thebracket, 63, and engaging with collars, 6 4, in the central rod, isrovided. The two loose pulleys are preferably of different sizes, sothat a slower s eed is given to the main shaft when the s otting head iscutting than when it is returning.

It will be understood that the automatic stopping mechanism justdescribed is shown detached from the rest of the machine in lan andelevation merely for convenc lence in drawing but it is preferablmounted l on the same rigid framework as t 1e welding head and otherparts above described as indicated in end view 1n Fig. 3.

are given of the jaw holder already referred to in the eneraldescription or" the machine, the stop, alone being omitted.

According to the form illustrated, the jaw holder, c, is provided at theend remote from the blade with a circular shank, 65, which is clamped inits bearing at any suitable angle as already described. The blade end ofthc jaw holder is se arated into two branches by means of the s ot, c',each part carrying a cop er jaw, l), sha ed so as to clear adjacent blaes; between t e jaws, l), the blade to be Welded is clamped and in orderte insure a goed contact and rigid holding of the blade 1n the jaws, aclamping device is referably arranged in addition to that provi ed bythe spring of the two branches of the aw' holder.

According to one form, links, 66, are pivoted at 67 to one branch of thejaw holder, while short cross links, 68, connect the links,

66, tolthe other branch, to which they are pivoted at 69. The longlinks, 66, are curved as shown and are connected at their nonivoted endsby the cross ieee, 70, to which pressure to clamp the lade is applied inthe direction of the arrow (sce Fig. 9) b means of the cam, 71, and handlever, 72, 570th of which are secured to a common axle rotatably mountedon'any convenient pillar, 73, or the like. A spring, such as 74, servesto return the links when the blade is released.

A modification of the clamping device just described is shown in Figs.10 and 11, corresponding parts being denoted by the same referencesymbols. The links, 66, in this modified form are curved in a contrarydirection to those of Figs. 8 and 9 and their ends are united by anarmature, 75, adapter'l to be attracted by one or more clectromagnets,76, supported in any convenient manner on a bracket or the like securedto the crosshead,

In the case where blades are to be welded to a turbine ring, thearrangement o1" parts is essentially the same as that already dcscribedwith the exception that the ring encircles the welding head.

lI wish it to be understood that although for convenience of language Ihave used the word blade in the claims appcndcnt hereto, nevertheless Iintend to include under this term the case in which a strip ol metalformed to the cross section of the blade and of any desired len th isWelded in place and subsequently Yfinis ed to the precise lengthrequired, both cases being obviously within the scope and spirit of myinvention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

l. In combination in apparatus for welding turbine blades to theircarrying elements,

means for pressing the turbine blade and carrying element together,inciuding a movably mounted blade clamp adapted to carry electriccurrent and means for automatically effecting a relative dis laeement ofthe earr ing element and bla e clamp, substantial y as described.

2. A machine ada ted to electrically Weld turbine blades to t eircarrying elements comprising in combination means for causing a bladeand its carrying element to contact and be pressed together, means forleading current to and from the Welding point together With means foreffecting arelative dislacement of the blade and carryin element ihr thenext Weld, substantially as escribed.

3. A machine ada ted to electrically Weld turbine blades to tlheircarrying elements comprising in combination means for causing a bladeand its carrying element to contact and be pressed to ether; meansforleading current to and om the Welding point; means for removing metalfrom said carrying element in advance of the Welding point together withmeans for effecting a relative displacement ofthe blade and carryielement or the next Weld, substantially as ascribed.

4. A machine ada ted to electrically Weld turbine blades to iiheircarryin elements l comprising in combination rotata ly mounted bladecarrying element carryin means; a blade clamp; a slidabl mounte Weldinghead carryingV said bla e clamp; together with means for causing saidblade clamp and said rotatable means to approach, substantially asdescribed.

5. A machine adapted to electrically Weld turbine blades to theircarrying elements comprisin in combination, means for causing a blae andits carrying element to ap proach; a toggle device for producin pressureat the Welding point; means for Fe current to and from said Weldingpoint together with means for effecting a relative displacement of theblade and carryin element for the next weld, substantially as escribed.

6. A machine ada ted to electrically weld turbine blades to tlheir carr'n elements comprising in combination, a sli-ldaly mounted welding head;means for holding a blade therein; means for leading current to theWelding point; means including a crank and a pitman for reciprocatingsaid Welding head together with means for causing said crank to stopautomatically at the end of each half revolution, substantially asdescribed.

7. A machine ada ted to electrically weld turbine blades to t circarryin elements com rising in combination rotata ly mounted blhdecarrying element carrying means; a slidably mounted Weldin head, meansfor causing said Welding head to reciprocate together with meansoperated from said Welding head for turning said rotatable means adinginto a position for the next weld, substantially as described.

8. A machine ada ted to electrically weld turbine blades to t eircarrying elements comprising in combination means for causing a bladeand its carrying element to approach; a to gle device for producingpressure at the Wel ing point; a switch together with means operatedfrom said to gle for opening said switch when the wel is completed,substantially as described.

9. A machine ada ted to electrically weld turbine blades to tllieircarryin elements com rising in combination aslidab y mounted wel inghead carrying a blade holder slidable relative thereto; automatic meansfor reciprocating said Welding head, together with automatic means forreci rocating said blade holder relatively to sai weldin head.

10. A machine ada ted to electrically weld turbine blades to t eircarrying elements comprising in combination a slidably mounted Weldinghead; means for reciprocating said welding head including a main motionshaft; clutches adapted to drive said shaft in either direction togetherwith means includ-Y ing a traveling nut and a screwed slidable extensionof said shaft for stopping said shaft at each end of the travel of saidWelding head, substantially as described.

11. In combination in apparatus for Welding turbine blades to theircarrying elements, means for pressing a turbine blade and carryingelement together, including a slidable blade clamp adapted to carryelectrical current; means for automatically setting the blade carryingelement in position for the next weld, substantially as described.

12. In combination in apparatus for welding turbine blades to theirelements, means for holding a blade including electromagneticallyoperated clamping jaws, means for causing a blade and its carryingclement to contact and be pressed together and means for leading currentto and from the welding point, substantially as described.

13. In combination in a paratus for electrically welding blades to tioir carrying elements, iiicans 'lor causing a turbine blade to approachits carrying element, means caused to operate by said approaching meansfor pressing said blade and carrying element toether and means forautomatically switching off the welding current when the weld iscomplete, substantially as described.

14. In combination in apparatus for electrically welding blades to theircarrying elements, means ior causing a turbine blade to approach itscarrying element, means caused to operate by said approaching means 'forpressing said blade and carrying element together, a blade holderthrough which current is led to the welding point and means forautomatically effecting a relative displacement of said carrying elementand holder, substantially as described.

15. In combination in ap aratus for fixing blades to their' carrying eements, means for pressing a turbine blade and Carrying element togetherincluding a blade holder and means 'for setting the angle thereof,substantially as described.

16. In apparatus for fixing turbine blades to their carrying elements,means for h'olding and clamping a blade, com rising a jaw holder havingmembers iiiovab e for clamping purposes relatively to one anothei' andhaving also an a erture passing through from side to side tliereof inthe direction of said clamping movement together with 'aws supported bysaid jaw holder, said jaws aving an operative clamping portion withinsaid a erture.

17. n a paratus for xing blades to their carrying e ements, a bladeholder having clamping elements said holder being rotatably mounted forsetting the angle of the blades in relation to their carrying elements,substantially as described.

18. In apparatus for iixing turbine blades to their carrying elements,means for holding and clamping a blade, said means comprising duplicateco-acting sets of elements, each set including a clamping jaw having anoperative clamping portion to ether with a lateral ortion disposed oneac i side thereof and inc uding also a jaw-holder havin forceapplyingmembers co-acting respective y with said lateral portions.

19. In apparatus i'or iixing turbine blades to their carrying elements,means for holding and clamping a blade, said means comprising duplicateco-acting sets of elements, each set including a substantially U-shapedjaw-holder and including also a clamping jaw disposed intermediate ofand in pressuretransmitting contact with the legs of said U -shapedjaw-holder.

20. In apparatus for fixing turbine blades to their carrying elements,means for holding and clamping a blade, said means comprising duplicateco-acting sets of elements, each set including co-planar jaw-holdermembersJ the plane of the members of one of said sets beingsubstantially arallel to the plane of the members of the ot er of saidsets, and each set including also a clamping jaw disposed intermediateoi and in pressure-transmitting contact with said members; together withmeans for actuating said co-acting sets in a direction transverse to theplane in which are disposed the jaw-holder ineinbers of either of them.

21.- In apparatus for 'fixing turbine blades to their` carryingelements, means for holding and clamping a blade comprising a jawholder' together with clamping jaws supported by said holder, one ofsaid clamping jaws having an operative clamping convex area on the sidethereof adjacent to said other jaw and a concave area on the side remoteand the other of said clamping jaws having an operative concave area onthe side thereof adjacent to said '[irst mentioned jaw and a convex areaon the side remote, substantially as described.

22. In apparatus for fixing turbine blades to their carrying elements,means for holding` and clamping a blade, comprising a jawholder togetherwith clamping jaws suported by said holder, one of said clam ing jawshaving an operative clam ing protuoerant area on the side thereof ajacent to said other jaw and a hollow area on the side remote and theother of said clamping jaws having an operative hollow area on the sidethereof adjacent to said first mentioned jaw and a protnberant area onthe side remote, substantially as described.

23. A machine adapted to iix turbine blades to their carrying elementscomprising in combination means for holding a blade; means for holding acarrying element; means for setting the relative angle between saidblade holding and said carrying element holding means; means for fixinga blade to said carrying element.

24. A machine adapted to fix turbine blades to their carrying elementscomprising in combination, means for holding a blade, means for holdinga carrying element; means for xing a blade to said carrying element;means for effecting a relative displace-y ment of said blade holding andcarryin element holding means for the next Xing operation.

25. A machine adapted to fix turbine blades to their carrying elementscomprising in combination means for holding a blade; means for holding acarrying element; means for fixing a blade to its carrying element;means for effecting a relative displacement in a certain plane of saidblade holding and carrying element holding .means for the next fixing oeration and other means for setting the re ative angular position ofsaid blade holding and carrying element means about an axis in saidcertain plane.

26. In combination in apparatus for fixing turbine blades to theircarrying elements, co-acting blade clamping jaws, one of said jawshaving an operative clamping protub erant area on the side thereofadjacent to said other jaw and a hollow area on the side remote and theother of said clamping jaws having an operative hollow area on the sidethereof adjacent to said first mentioned jaw and a protubcrant area onthe side remote, together with means for operating said clamping jaws.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twowitnesses.

SEBASTIAN ZIANI DE FERRANTI.

Witnesses BERTRAM H. MATTHEWS, WALKER J. SKERTEN.

